The official state bird of all 50 states

The 50 states of the US (and Washington, D.C.) have been choosing official state birds since 1927.

Common "backyard" birds, like cardinals and robins, were chosen as state birds for more than one state.

Other birds, like Minnesota's common loon and New Mexico's infamous greater roadrunner, are more rare.

Birds can seem so ubiquitous, it's easy to forget just how many rare and beautiful species there are flying the skies of the US.

Certain types are more common than others, like the American robin and the northern cardinal, but others are entirely unique to a particular state or region, like New Mexico's roadrunner or South Dakota's ring-necked pheasant.

Here's every official state bird in the US, including our nation's capital.

Alabama: Yellowhammer (aka Northern Flicker)

The northern flicker, or "yellowhammer," bird was chosen as Alabama's official bird in 1927, though it has been associated with the state since the Civil War. The northern flicker is a type of woodpecker, making Alabama the only state in the country to have a woodpecker as a state bird.

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